The 1976 Invasion of Juliana was an invasion of Juliana. The Soviet Union's VDV airborne troops invaded Juliana in April 1976, because the communist government of Juliana was starting liberalizations. 1,000 Soviet soldiers invaded and they quickly gained control over many of the important areas of Juliana.
History of the Invasion[]
In 1976, longtime communist leader Anton Berčič died and the Communist Party elected reformist politician Peter Kaspar to be Prime Minister. While this was a welcome change among many, a few hardine communists were opposed and the Soviets were wary of this, despite the country's small size. Due to the Brezhnev Doctrine policies of the period, the Soviets were unwilling to let a communist state fall and began to prepare for a swift invasion.
On 12 April 1976, some 1,000 Soviet airborne troops were dropped over Juliana, specifically Pisona, where they attempted to secure the main train station, the Palace of the Congress and other key buildings. The attack happened at 2 in the morning. The newspaper Glas Julianska made a special edition newspaper that attacked the invasion but only could print one page. There was some resistance to the Soviet troops, though was largely ineffective. But still, soldiers in Avia and in Pisona resisted and killed 13 Soviet soldiers, but 40 Julianan soldiers were killed.
By the 12th of April most government officials were detained, like, the Prime Minister Peter Kaspar and many others who criticized the invasion. The President Anton Moline didn't support these and welcomed the liberation by the Soviet Soldiers, so he wasn't arrested.
In the period of the invasion and after, there was a couple of defectors like Giovanni Valli.